Thursday, April 3, 2014

Raising Subversives

I'd like to think that it's appropriate to get my kids to subvert dumb-ass rules powers-that-be impose upon them. Forget "thinking it," I know it's the right thing to do.

Le Daughter is in Miami for a dance convention with fellow students who are part of the program at the high school. I think a total of 20 students -- one boy and 19 girls -- have descended upon Miami along with hundreds, nay thousands, of other dancers. I'm not entirely sure what she's doing beyond taking part in workshops and the like. Presumably she also has to sit through "the cream of the crop" dance performances of "Fame"-quality dancers.

[Is "Fame" even relevant? Should I instead say "DWTS" or "X Factor"? Since I've never seen an episode of either, I'm going to stick with the old "Fame" standby. But the Irene Cara vehicle on the big screen, not the wannabe TV show (and remake).]

At one of the first parent meetings about the adventure, the dance teacher extraordinaire [INSERT SARCASTIC EYE-ROLL] said the kids shouldn't bring bathing suits [INSERT INCREDULOUS SUBVERSION HERE] because that wasn't the intent.

To her credit [EYE-ROLL] by the time the trip finally rolled around, she said she'd found times when they could swim, so folks should bring their bathing suits. [As if Daughter wasn't going to be told by me already to bring the damn thing.]

At the final parent meeting, there was mention made of the fact that the teacher and chaperoning parents would be confiscating electronic devices each night. [INSERT THE MOST MASSIVE W-T-F EYE-ROLL YOU CAN IMAGINE.] In my notes, I wrote down, "Daughter, make sure you bring your iPod." And when I got home, I told her my plan: bring both you phone and iPod and after you fork over the phone, we can still IM through the iPod.

Last night, she texted me. On her phone. She handed over the iPod and kept the phone. She one-upped me in subversion. You got to like that in an offspring.